Jagan Pieces
by cywscross
Summary: A series of introspective and not-so-introspective pieces about Ban Midou and his interactions with his partner, other transporters, and the Limitless Fortress' residents.


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Get Backers.**

* * *

**Summary:** A series of introspective and not-so-introspective pieces about Ban Midou and his interactions with his partner, other transporters, and the Limitless Fortress' residents.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Care**

Sometimes, Ginji wonders if the others ever realize the extent of just how much Ban-chan cares about all of them.

Ginji is the one who openly smothers them all in hugs and asks after their health and frets over them when they're injured. He is still their leader – for most of them – even though he has dropped the title of Lightning Emperor.

But Ban is different. If Ginji is light and sunshine as some of his more poetic friends – Kazuki and Sakura – occasionally compare him to, then Ban is moonlight at best and the darkest of nights at worst. For all his loud belligerence at times, Ban prefers staying quiet and always lingers in the shadows, never making an attempt to step out and drop his guard around other people.

Besides Ginji of course, but that's a given, and a part of Ginji secretly takes selfish pride in that fact.

It makes Ban seem cold and uncaring so Ginji does his best to assuage his friends' concerns about the man. He is fairly certain most of them have mellowed towards his partner and they've grown to at least respect him and maybe trust him a little through their many interactions with him.

Ban doesn't make it easy though. He's rude to just about everyone – except paying customers, and even that's only at first, though to be fair, most of their clients try to double-cross them sooner or later – and he makes fun of their friends and acquaintances to the point where Shido has tried to strangle him on several occasions and even gentle Kazuki sicced Juubei and Toshiki on him once when Ban remarked one too many times on the Threadmaster's girlish figure.

Not that it did Juubei or Toshiki any good because Ban is just strong enough to handle the backlash of his flippant words, even if he did come out of the encounter with torn clothes and a handful of bruises.

But then there are the times that Ban does what he does best – handle things from the shadows, _help_ people just for the sake of seeing their heartfelt relief and happiness as Ginji knows Ban is capable of, and not needing or wanting anything in return.

Ginji knows Ban only does this for people he cares about. The clients who come for their assistance are negotiated out of as much money as possible by his partner at the first opportunity, but their _friends_-

Well.

Shido comes running into Honky Tonk one morning when only Ginji, Ban, Kazuki, and Paul are in, looking frantic and desperate, and Ginji knows of only two things that can get the Beastmaster that flustered: when Ginji is in mortal danger or when Madoka is somehow involved.

Since Ginji is pretty sure he is not in any mortal danger anytime soon, it's safe to bet that this has something to do with their favourite violinist. (Ban is _Ginji's_ favourite violinist but, to this day, only Hevn, Paul, Natsumi, Shido, and himself know that Ban is an excellent violin player. Madoka knows as well but she respects the fact that Ban doesn't like his musical affinity known and only rings him up to go play a duet with her when no one is around to see or hear.).

Ban realizes the cause for Shido's panic as well and immediately starts taunting the Beastmaster (_What is it, Monkey Trainer? Forgot to pay rent so Madoka's finally given you the boot?_).

It's a testament to Shido's state of mind when the former VOLTS King doesn't bother snarking anything back before proceeding to ask them if they've seen a flat red box that holds a silver necklace with a gold violin charm attached to it (_It's for her birthday. I need it back before tomorrow._).

The answers are all negative but Ginji is quick to volunteer to help, Kazuki only a second behind him. Even Paul promises to put a poster up at the front of the store in case someone finds it and is looking to return it.

Ban only scoffs and jeers and asks how much Shido has to bribe Madoka with just to get a room in the stables. Under the circumstances, that's a bit mean, even for Ban's standards, but Ginji knows his partner didn't get much sleep last night and that always makes him cranky, so he only admonishes his partner a little and shoves Shido out the door before the Beastmaster can snap and attack Ban.

They spend the entire day scouring the streets but no red box turns up. They even go back to the store that Shido bought the necklace at but they are sold out and nothing else catches Shido's eye, even if they could actually afford the pricey items in the first place.

It is eight in the evening when they return, tired, hungry, and unsuccessful. Ban is smoking at the far table and only has to take one look at their faces to see that the search has failed.

"Geez, Monkey Boy," Ban says lazily when Shido slumps at the counter, depressed. "Just get her something else."

Shido glares sullenly at the Jagan-user. "Shut up, Midou. That necklace was perfect for her."

Ban shrugged unsympathetically but refrains from shooting off his mouth again, which Ginji is really grateful for.

They all stew for another few minutes before the door chimes and a nondescript lady with brown hair and brown eyes steps in, looking a little nervous. It is her hands they all look at however.

Shido is up and bowing and thanking her profusely before the woman could get a word in edgewise. The Beastmaster takes back the box almost reverently. There is a small dent in the corner of the package, most likely caused when Shido had dropped it and it had hit the ground, but the necklace inside is polished and gleaming, not a scratch on the violin charm or a single broken link on the necklace.

When asked where she had found it, the lady fumbles a reply, claiming that she found it in the nearby park and that she had walked past Honky Tonk earlier and seen the poster.

But Ginji is more interested in the way she glances furtively at Ban, and the way Ban nods subtle encouragement at her behind everyone's backs. Ginji also recalls the fact that he, Kazuki, and Shido had scoured that park for hours since it is one of the Beastmaster's favourite haunts. They hadn't found anything all day.

And what would a woman be doing alone in the middle of a park at eight in the evening anyway?

But Shido is too grateful to think too much into this and Kazuki just smiles in delight at his friend's good fortune.

Later though, back in their cramped, rundown apartment that Ginji wouldn't give up for the world, he watches his partner grumble and grouse over their budget. He always lets Ban handle their money because Ginji is honestly awful at it but he knows enough to realize that a good several hundred yen are gone.

The very next day, he slips out and makes his way to the nearest jewellery store and asks if a man with blue eyes and spiky hair had been by yesterday. They say yes, that the man had wanted a necklace fixed, but they couldn't divulge more information than that. Ginji doesn't care; he's gotten what he suspects confirmed.

Shido had probably dropped the gift somewhere along the way – because one would have to be a hell of a pickpocket to get one over Shido – and some thief had picked it up, looking to pawn it. Ban had somehow hunted them down and the necklace had most likely gotten scratched in the scuffle.

Ginji doesn't tell Shido or say anything to Ban about this. His partner doesn't want thanks, especially from the Beastmaster, so he lets it go and pretends to be just as clueless about the whole thing as everyone else is.

Still, days later, he thinks that maybe he isn't the only one who notices. Kazuki comes in and treats the two of them to breakfast, but orders extra for Ban when the Jagan-user only eats a sandwich. The Threadmaster smiles and ignores Ban's suspicious frown as he strikes up a conversation with Ginji.

Another week passes before Shido wanders in again, looking moody and stoic at the same time before that dissolves into irritation as he and Ban kick off a pissing contest again. And then, when they've traded more insults than Ginji thought possible at any one time, Shido tosses a pack of Ban's favourite smokes and mutters something about them being on sale before stalking out the door, nursing a split lip from their impromptu fight.

Of course, more often than not, nobody really knows what Ban does behind the scenes. Ginji is pretty sure even he hasn't been able to pick up all the instances, but he's getting better.

Honky Tonk is a pit stop for their particular circle of acquaintances and Ginji likes to think that his friends from Limitless Fortress and the other transporters in the business also consider Ban one of them.

* * *

**Please leave a review on your way out.**


End file.
